Monday, January 26, 2009

This weekend I was still glowering at all the stuff I posted about a few days ago. I vented about it on Chicago Moms Blog, and describing my enemy so publicly gave me the courage to take it on. A little.So, while Pebbles napped and Epu took Nutmeg ice skating (until she had a tantrum and they came home, that is), I gathered two trash bags of stuff for Salvation Army, which is coming by this week. OK, most of that stuff was already stacked in the basement for donation, but now it is really getting OUT OF THE HOUSE. I also gathered some things and offered them on Freecycle, and they're on the porch awaiting pickup now. This effort helped me clear out the bench by the backdoor, so we could actually use it to hide things that need to be carried out to the car, and extra warm clothing that should be handy near the door. AND, I decluttered the changing table, including up finding about a dozen sock matches and finally giving up on and throwing out the other 60 or so socks hanging around looking for partners.Then, of course, throughout the day I found socks here and there that matched the ones I had just tossed, and had to go digging through the trash for them. And then, Pebbles saw the trash can full of brightly colored socks, and scattered them all over the upstairs.OK. I got a start.And Epu got into the act too, hanging up some more hooks by both the front and back doors. And then I irritated him mightily by asking him to move the two largest multihook units, since they were both hung in places where they would be impossible to use. His heart, though? Totally in the right place.I even tried to order the bookshelf we've been meaning to order for more than a year, only to find that it must have been discontinued. Great. We've got one just like it opposite the spot where it's supposed to go, so that'll be a fun problem to deal with.I'm hoping to be able to tackle more stuff removal after bedtime tonight. There's some high-tech stuff scattered all over the house that needs to be sold, for instance. And I want to finish the back door/kids table area in the back of my kitchen. There's no school today AGAIN, so I'm sure I'll need some therapy by the end of the day and sorting through crap gives me kind of an endorphin rush.By coincidence (or maybe it's just because we're both nesting) blogger Crystal Paine has posted a spring cleaning challenge on one of her blogs, Biblical Womanhood. If you wonder how on earth I ended up reading a blog like that, it's because Crystal also writes my frugality favorite, Money Saving Mom. Who knew what strange bedfellows the frugal life would bring, eh?

I am SO feeling this right now. We are in the midst of a frenzied nesting period--both Aaron and I are feeling the pressure to de-clutter and organize to get ready for baby. And the frustrating thing is having to remind myself to take it easy when I want to work day and night to get this done.

Sometimes I think that "burning down the house" option is a good one.I also fantasize about posting to freecycle something like "Door will be unlocked between 8am and 5 pm. Boxes will be just inside." I guess the real fantasy is just starting over. No attachments that make it hard to toss stuff. No ideas of "just in case."